Today's Scripture Readings

Saints, Feasts, and Readings for 7/17/2017

Prayer Before Reading Holy Scripture

O Master Who loves mankind, illuminate our hearts with the pure light of Your divine knowledge and open the eyes of our mind to understand the teachings of Your Gospel. Instill in us also the fear of Your blessed commandments, that we may overcome all carnal desires, entering upon a spiritual life and understanding and acting in all things according to Your holy will. For You are the enlightenment of our souls and bodies, O Christ God, and to You we give glory together with Your eternal Father and Your all-holy, gracious and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.

Epistle Reading: 1 Corinthians 5:9-6:11

I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with
sexually immoral people.

Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral
people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters,
since then you would need to go out of the world.

But now I have written to you not to keep company with
anyone named a brother, who is a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater,
or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; not even to eat with such a
person.

For what have I to do with judging those also who are
outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?

But those who are outside God judges. Therefore "put
away from yourselves that wicked person."

Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to
law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?

Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?
And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the
smallest matters?

Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much
more, things that pertain to this life?

If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining
to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to
judge?

I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a
wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his
brethren?

But brother goes to law against brother, and that
before unbelievers!

Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you
that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong?
Why do you not rather let yourselves be defrauded?

No, you yourselves do wrong and defraud, and you do
these things to your brethren!

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit
the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters,
nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,